I got mine today!!! I couldn't wait to read "Get Your Life Back"... what a great article - thank you! I won't spoil it for those that haven't received it yet. I am so grateful to Allergic Living - the fact that the magazine exists, along with this forum, has made living with food allergies something manageable and allows for the allergic community to make the very best of their situation. Thanks again for what looks like another great issue!

Well darn...... crossing my fingers for you BC2007, there are lots of things I want to discuss, but I will wait til you get your copy and get a chance to read it. I will tell you one thing though.... another great issue! again people

Too funny, I had to buy that copy cuz I forgot to renew, but in the end it worked out really well....I love my life.

We just got ours yesterday. The summer issue is excellent as usual. My husband read it first. He is a very big fan -reads it cover to cover. He was really interested in the article about parental stress and was surprised to read that the issue had been studied. The article gave us both of us an aha moment - like we're not alone in our feelings and stress. We're somewhat normal for allergy parents and not crazy especially as parents of a child with multiple allergies including milk.

It was interesting to read the comments of the parents. The common response we receive from people often in regards to my daughters' allergies is "That must be so hard." My standard response is to downplay our situation purposely for several reasons especially if my children are present. First, I don't want my daughter to ever feel like she is a burden to us. We do have to do lots of extra things to keep her safe and accommodate her in social settings but that's our job as her parents. Second, I don't want my daughter to feel that she faces a life of hardship. Allergies are manageable and we don't want her to face her challenges with a negative attitude. Lastly, I don't want people to feel that we are a lot of work to accommodate especially if we want to socialize with them.

_________________13 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, tree nuts and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema10 year old son - no allergies

I would just add that I don't generally dwell on what we can't do and all of the extra work that allergies involve. Allergies have required us to make many positive changes to our lives - food choices, family meals etc. But there are times when someone says to me, "That must be so hard" and I would really like to say " Yes it is really @#%^^^ hard." I would love to vent a bit but I don't. I guess that is why we have the forum for venting!

_________________13 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, tree nuts and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema10 year old son - no allergies

Last edited by katec on Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I, too, get a lot of the "that must be so hard". Even one close relative used to tell people ("she can't eat anything!" Not true. I've worked on her, she's getting it now.)

I think we don't want our allergic selves or kids thought of as "less than" - just because we make food accommodations. And I so agree, we don't want kids to get less out of life because of FA.

But the truth you speak about how freakin' hard it can be at times with multiple allergies is the thrust of that "Get Your Life Back" article. We don't often think about the toll on allergy parents of the stiff upper lip. It's not just the grunt work of non-stop label reading (as most people presume). In some ways, that's the easier, controllable part.

It's unspoken - the stress that comes in trying to juggle your own child's sense of worth and ability to accomplish, keeping the child safe but not paranoid in school and other environments, and trying to get through to others how important the precautions are.

I give all of you parents a pat on the back - when you stop and think about it, what amazing jugglers you are. Make sure you get a little "me first" time in the summer. You deserve it!

Oh and the article does highly recommend sharing/venting.

BC2007 - dratted post office. Hang in there, can't be much longer. Look forward to your views on the mag.

Sometimes it's a PITA, other times, it's a labour of love. My life has been enriched because of her allergies. I know so much more about what we consume and the processes it goes through before it reaches our plates. I get to see how giving and selfless total strangers can be.
And, I've met all of you!

Does anyone know if I subscribed yesterday if I will get a copy of the Summer issue? Otherwise, I'll go out and by one. Sounds like it's full of great articles. (I don't have a source to borrow them from any more.)

Katec, I loved what you had to say about your family approach to food allergies. We share the same belief that we must approach it with a positive attitude and make the best of things. We try to take part in everything we can, and live a full life. But sometimes, between my husband and I, or with our close friends or immediate family, when we are out of earshot of our children, we will vent about our struggles with it, but we then move on to more positive discussions and focus on all the good things life has to offer. Our comfort level has not included any air travel, or any extensive eating out in a restaurant, but so be it. We still feel like we have a great life, and our kids love all their home cooked meals! It's certainly a real benefit to know that what we are eating as a family is pure food, without all the preservatives and additives. The only thing I used to read on a label was the calorie count I never used to concern myself with INGREDIENTS! How foreign that seems to me now.

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